Most of MY GUN IS QUICK is credited to Merlin Skiles. One cue ("Murder on the Stairs") lasting about a minute and a half is credited to "John T. Williams." Since Williams was credited as "Johnny" Williams in most of his early work, are we certain this is the same guy?

can you please reply Jameson where did you find this information? I've searched all over the net, but i didn't find anything. And i would be very much interested to know.. Do you have a cue list or something of the movie?

apparently, it must be the same John Williams. i don't think there could be another John Williams that wrote film music and had the same initial (T). It would be much of a coincidence..

I found only this in TCM site:A modern source lists Alexander Courage and John Williams as contributors to the music score.

Most of MY GUN IS QUICK is credited to Merlin Skiles. One cue ("Murder on the Stairs") lasting about a minute and a half is credited to "John T. Williams." Since Williams was credited as "Johnny" Williams in most of his early work, are we certain this is the same guy?

Well, one more try if Jameson281 sees this. Can you please let us know where did you find this information?

I still maintain that it's doubtful about Williams' involvement here, though. Especially after having seen the film and the scene in question. It just doesn't add up. There are motivic fragments in the scene that pop up elsewhere in Skiles' score. Plus, it segues directly into the long 'car-tailing scene'. It's not a single cue, stop, then another cue. It's just one, continous cue that lasts for about 10 minutes, containing several of the themes that Skiles introduces early on.

No i haven't seen it yet. Just that scene.. You mean that repeated 4-note motif is used elsewhere too?

Hmmm....I can't remember if it was a 4-note motif, but there were fragments there that appeared elsewhere in the score too. I'll have to see the film again.

I recommend that you see the film. You'll understand why I find it somewhat doubtful that Williams was involved as COMPOSER, despite what BMI says. I'm not ruling it out altogether, but it would be very, very strange considering how that scene is constructed and the music within it.

No i haven't seen it yet. Just that scene.. You mean that repeated 4-note motif is used elsewhere too?

Hmmm....I can't remember if it was a 4-note motif, but there were fragments there that appeared elsewhere in the score too. I'll have to see the film again.

I recommend that you see the film. You'll understand why I find it somewhat doubtful that Williams was involved as COMPOSER, despite what BMI says. I'm not ruling it out altogether, but it would be very, very strange considering how that scene is constructed and the music within it.

You can hear the piece, in the jwfan link I provided above. If it is that! I was based on Jameson's information about a cue "murder on the stairs". It features a repeated 4-note motif. Even if this motif was used elsewhere in the score, Williams could be still the composer of the cue.

I mean, if i'm hired by a composer to write only a cue, and he wants me to use one motif of his, well, I'm still the composer of the cue (with his motif. Maybe it's more precise as score adaptation)

EDIT: Ok, because we changed page, i'm writing here again a call to Jameson281 please!

I just read in a French book about John Williams, in the filmography section, that his first film score is "My Gun is Quick" (1957) (although he is uncredited there), and not Daddy-O as I've thought all these years. I've searched the net and apparently this information is all over.

Does anyone have more information about how much of the score Williams contributed? in what scenes, what cues etc.? Maybe it was just source music as in Stark Fear in which he wrote party music?

In many of Williams' early films, there were also songs or tracks by other composers. Same with DIAMOND HEAD, which had the main theme song by Hugo Winterhalter -- which was then incorporated into Williams' own score in instrumental form.

But as far as I know, Williams composed ALL of the dramatic underscore (and even a couple of source cues here and there) for DADDY-O, I PASSED FOR WHITE, BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG, THE SECRET WAYS and BACHELOR FLAT (plus several TV episodes) -- which all preceded DIAMOND HEAD. However, DIAMOND HEAD was the first-ever FILM soundtrack of a Williams score. BACHELOR FLAT only received its premiere release a few years ago.

I'm looking forward to your dissertation, Konstantinos. It might be the most detailed yet. However, I assume it's in Greek.

Yes, it will be in Greek but I'm afraid it will be strictly musicological on an academic level. (meaning it will have terminology, harmonic analyses, musical syntax etc.) But after that, I will look into a possibility of an English translation and publication, although we will have to face the important problem with the rights of the music examples.